Defective TB medicines trigger urgent patient review

A batch of tuberculosis medication used across Botswana has been found to be substandard, prompting the government to re-assess dozens of patients after surveillance data showed an unusual spike in treatment failures, health authorities announced last week.

In a public notice dated December 4, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said laboratory tests revealed that a Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drug used in TB treatment was “deficient of two critical anti-TB molecules: Rifampicin and Ethambutol” – both key to suppressing the disease. The finding followed a review of national treatment patterns that showed an unexpected rise in poor outcomes across several districts.